Masari decries lack of resources available to Police Force

The Katsina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari has bemoaned the limited resources available to the Nigerian Police Force in its fight against crime and insecurity.

It is practically impossible for the police to be effective in safeguarding the lives and properties of citizens in Katsina State as the ratio amounts to one police officer to 260,000 citizens, the Governor noted.

Masari made the remarks on Thursday while responding to the Inspector General of Police IGP, Usman Alkali Baba who paid him a courtesy visit at the state government house.

“For people to understand the reality of the condition under which the police are working, we are supposed to look and analyse the situation, interrogate the number and the resources and then come up with constructive suggestions on how to make police works.

“All along, we have been saying, Police has not done this, security has not done that, without interrogating their numbers.

Read also: Gov Masari orders total closure of major roads in Katsina to curb bandits’ activities

“Katsina like I said before in 2006, had a population of 5.6 million. If we are growing at 3%, fifteen years after, we should be crawling to 8 million people. Then, we should ask ourselves, how many policemen do we have in Katsina State?

“I don’t think we have 3000 or more than 3000 policemen in Katsina State. Let’s assume we have, in a population of over 8 million, are you saying one Policeman to over 260,000 people?

“Then looking at arms and ammunitions, what do they have? You, look at it.

“That brings us to the issue of modern technology and equipment for fighting crime- war. How much technology is available to the police?

“I always tell people, policemen, military men, that anyone in uniform has blood and flesh and of course, by the nature of their training, by the career they have chosen, they have chosen to sacrifice the ultimate, if need be, though they are human beings like us.”

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